//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: Cross my heart // by Sarcastic Brony //------------------------------// “We got a large shipment coming in today via pegasus. I want you back here before lunch so we can unpack it quickly. If you help me get it all organized, I’ll give you an extra hour lunch for helping. After that you can start getting those packages out.” “Yes, Mr. Express.” I give my boss a single nod as I adjust my mailbag. “Alright then. Do your rounds and get back here so we can prepare for those packages.” I give one final nod as I take my leave. It wasn't very often for the post office to get a shipment by pegasus. Usually they send a regular earth pony for most shipments. Whatever they were bringing was probably a rush order. I usually find it rather fascinating what ponies will get delivered sometimes. Mostly it was Rarity that gotten a few odds and ends sent to her.. Random things like cloth or even perfume. As I continue on my mailroute, I can't stop myself from wondering what could be arriving. I quickly deposit each ponies mail with a quickened pace. Mail work as a whole was rather easy since the recent invention of mailboxes. They were still new and most ponies didn't have them. Which usually leads to the old fashion system, knocking on the door and giving them their mail. If they don't answer, then I leave the mail in front of the door. Usually placing a rock on top of them so they don't fly away. To be honest, I know many of the ponies were silently grateful for the boxes. It just meant another reason for them to not talk to me anymore. I know my daddy told me when I was a filly that I can't be friends with everypony, but I kinda hoped that with time that they would learn to accept me. I bite my cheek some to stop myself from feeling that pain. I just take in a long, deep breath in and slowly let it out. It seems this world never changes for ponies like me. When I was young, I use to think that Equestria was a great place. A place where everypony was friendly. My time in Manehattan had set me straight though. I shiver some at that old thought. That was long ago, I don't need to think of the past anymore. I shake my head some to clear away those idle thoughts. I place another stack of mail into another mail box. Making double sure that not a single letter flew away. This was already my fifth house for the day. I still had enough time to get a few more houses before I head back to the post office. My next stop was a house that I knew all too well, a mare that loved her gossip, only second to Rarity. I knew that she would want to talk a bit, as she usually does everytime I come and give her her mail. I knock on her door and wait with a small stack in my teeth. The door comes flying open to reveal Berry Punch. Berry is what most ponies would call an alcoholic, but something she labels as a ‘social drinker’. She spends most of her time at the bar, and while I frown upon that for other reasons than her drinking. I keep my peace, at least she takes care of her daughter well. Since she is so well known in the gossip area, she tends to catch wind of lots a different things before most ponies do. “Ah, Derpy.” She says with a small smile. “Good to see you.” I return a nod and look down to the stack in my mouth. She gets the point and gentle bites the other end and sets her mail onto a small counter by the door. I make sure not to move, as I know she has something she wants to say. She gives me a small grin as she looks around before pulling me close. “You know that thing Twilight was going out with?” She asks. I frown a bit at that. “Human, and his name is Anon.” I say with a little more bite than I intended. She just chuckles at my hostility. “Well, I bet you’re going to love this. Now it is rather early on the details, but I heard from some mares that those two had a falling out.” I give a nod, already knowing that much. “From what has been whispered around town, Twilight is the one to blame for it.” I raise a brow at that. “I already know that, Berry. Anon is living with me after all.” Both her eyes widen from this small bit of juicy gossip. I scold myself on the inside for giving her even the slightest bit of information like that. “Is he now?” She smiles at that. “So tell me. What’d Twilight do to him?” I feel my frown deepen as I look to my hooves. “I don't know. He didn't really tell me anything, I just gave him a place to stay.” She gives a small nod as the smile slowly fades. “Sorry to hear that. Thanks for listening, Derpy.” I return the nod as she closes the door to her home. I give one long sigh, adjust my bag and get ready to finish off a few more houses just before I head back to the office. I stood in the back of the post office at the loading area. This was where we send and receive packages. The few houses I stopped at had little to say to me about Anon. All they knew was that something happened and that Twilight was at fault. Something I already knew, but it showed just how fast news spreads in this town. I look up to the sky and see a pegasus crew of five flying towards us. “They’re here, Mr. Express!” I call into the shop so my boss could know. “Be right there!” Soon the pegasi team lands before me. I recognize a few of them from the weather team over in Cloudsdale. “Hey, Derpy.” Summer Breeze greets me. I give a nod. “Hello.” Before any pleasantries could be exchanged, my boss came out to sign some of the documents that they had brought with them. While he handles the paperwork, I’m already unloading everything they have brought. Most of the stuff is small boxes, while a few look twice as large as most ponies. With some help we easily manage to get everything inside. “Derpy, can you catalogue this stuff while I finish up out here?” My boss asks. I give a nod. “Sure.” I head inside and start to catalogue everything by address. It seems that quite a few of these were heading to one place in particular. I could feel my blood chill a bit as I double check the address. These were heading to the library, while not an uncommon occurrence, I still felt a certain feeling well up inside of me at the thought of even seeing that mare. I shake myself clear of thoughts. I need to get this stuff over with. “Thank you, Derpy.” My boss says with a tired smile. “You know, I couldn't do half of this stuff without you.” “No worries, Mr. Express.” He chuckles a little to himself. “Head on out to lunch, I’ll looked over the rest of these.” I give him a nod as I take my leave. Mr. Express is a really great stallion. He’s been running this post office since the very beginning. He is one of the few ponies that treat me like a normal pony. Sadly, he is starting to get up there in the years and can't do much lifting anymore. We have only one other stallion that helps with package delivery, but most of the work is placed squarely on my shoulders. Maybe I can talk Mr. Express into hiring another pony to help around? I was so lost in thought I didn't realise somepony was standing in front of me when I walked out the door. My face bumps into something as I fall onto my hindquarters. I feel myself go flush as I quickly stutter out a quick apology. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” I quickly look up and feel my breath hitch. Standing there looking down to me with a smile is Anon. I watch as he crouches down some and offers me his hand. I feel my cheeks redden a little as I look to his hand. I place my hoof into it as he helps me back up. I quickly brush my fur down a bit to rid myself of some dirt. “I’m sorry for bumping into you, Anon. I was just heading out to lunch and wasn't paying attention.” I look up as he chuckles a bit to himself. “You don't need to worry, Derpy.” His smile morphs to a grin. “I actually came by to see you. Want to head out for lunch together?” I feel my cheeks redden as I nod hesitantly. “Sure, I guess we could.” “Great! I’ve been trying to think of a way to thank you for bringing me into your home on such short notice. I think this is the least I can do.” “You don't need to worry yourself over something like that, Anon. You’re a great friend and I know if Dinky found out you didn't have a place to stay, she would’ve asked me to bring you in anyways.” I say honestly. His features soften a bit at the mention of my daughters name. “Yeah, that kid is something special.” “I like to think I raised her alright on my own. Considering..” I feel my voice die down some at the end. “Considering what?” He raises a brow at that. I look to my hooves as I shift uneasily. “Well, It’s not very easy to take care of a foal on your own. Not to mention, well, most ponies think I’m not really stable enough to raise a foal.” I look back up and see that Anon is now frowning. “What ponies would think that? You’re not any different from them.” His voice was controlled, but I could hear some restraint. I shift a bit more at his hardened gaze. “Ponies just think things. Mostly because of my eyes or the way I wobble a lot while walking.” Anon just lets out a long sigh as he shakes his head. He looks down to me with a sad smile. “I can understand that. Ponies still think I’m going to eat their foals at night as they sleep.” Anon gently places his hand onto my withers to comfort me. “For what it’s worth. I think you’ve done a fine job raising Dinky.” I couldn't stop myself as I nuzzle his forearm a bit. I knew he had problems with ponies, even to this day. He never talks about it, so I never know how bad it gets for him. I’m just glad that we have some common ground, a place where we can console each other. “Thank you.” I say as he removes his hand. “So, how about lunch?” He asks again. I nod with a large smile growing. “That sounds wonderful.” Anon and I sat comfortably outside of a rather small eatery. It wasn't anything fancy, but it’s the talk of ponyville right now. The waiter leave us our menus as we take a few minutes to look through them. “See anything you like?” Anon asks. I feel my left eye wander the menu as the other simply looks to the sky. “I think I’ll get the rose salad.” I say as I set my menu down. Anon gives a nod as he waves the waiter over. “What would you two be having this fine day?” The waiter asks in a prench accent. “I’ll have the potato cuts.” Anon answers. The waiter writes his order down and then looks to me. “I’ll have the rose salad with vinaigrette.” “Excellent choice.” The waiter says before he leave with our orders. I look over to see Anon was looking off in the distance at something, the gentle smile he had before turns into a plot eating grin. I follow his line of sight and can't stop myself as my breath hitches at the site that’s before me. It’s Big Macintosh, and he is selling apples at his stall, per usual. It’s just, he is wearing socks! What would make him do something like that!? “I never understood why ponies find socks erotic.” I jump slightly as Anon chuckles aloud. “I will admit, he looks adorable in those things!” He couldn't contain himself as he bursts into laughter. His laughing draws the attention of everypony around as they follow his gaze and have little reactions of their own. Many of them show a bit of embarrassment, while other can't hide the blushes away. You could practically see the thoughts that flew through their minds. “Why is he out in public like that?!” I ask in shock. Anon pulls himself together as he rotates his shoulder some. “Mac bet me that I couldn't pin him to the ground.” He chuckles a bit to himself. “About an hour later, well, I don't think I need to explain further.” I feel my cheeks light up a bit as my mind starts to drift. The thought of a half naked Anon wrestling with a sweaty Macintosh was getting me a bit flustered. The two of them trying to overpower the other. Their muscles flexing as they continue to roll around in the dirt. But no matter how hard Big Mac may have tried, Anon still stood over him in victory. I bring my hooves up to my face as I try to hide the redness. Quickly shaking away those thoughts, trying to center them on the topic at hoof. What most ponies forget at times is that I too am a mare. I like to look at stallions and imagine like any other mare. While I’m unsure if any mare thinks of Anon as just another stallion, even if they did, it’s probably fleeting thoughts at most. The fact is that I shouldn't be thinking stuff like this while we were having a friendly meal. I remove my hooves and look back to Big Mac. I could see a line stretching around the block, most of the ponies in line being mares. “Maybe he should make it a regular thing.” I turn back to face Anon at this suggestion. “Seems to be getting him some serious business.” “Are you crazy!?” I shout. “One time is enough.” He smiles at me and waves it off. “Alright, alright. No need to get upset. It was a bet after all.” Luckily the waiter was setting our food out as Anon and I ate silently. I couldn't help but glance over at Big Mac, then to Anon. My mind imagining things about their scuffle. I knew that Anon was strong, but to have become strong enough to pin Big Mac? Even that seemed too good to be true. As my eye looks over his body I can see some of the muscles he’s refined over the years. The shirt he is wearing left little to the imagination. As I continue to look I can't help but feel my mind play out some fantasies. Replacing Big Mac with myself. Anon wrapping his arms around me as he flips me over, laying on top of me to keep me pinned to the ground. Totally at his mercy as I look up to his sweaty body. He could do anything to me while I’m pinned under him, and I would be powerless to stop him. I could feel a heat rising as I quickly shake my thoughts away. Anon is just a friend! I shouldn't be thinking about him in such a way! “You alright?” I look up to see Anon giving me a look of concern. “Fine, just a little tired is all. Mail work can be rather tasking.” It wasn't a complete lie. What I said was true, in a way. “I bet. So anything going on around work?” He asks. I poke my salad some, I wasn't hungry anymore after those graphic thoughts. “Well, we had a large shipment come in. Once I get back I’m probably going to get them delivered.” He nods at that. “How about you? How are things going?” He shrugs. “Work is hard. The fact I won the bet with Big Mac was a miracle.” He chuckles a bit. “Hey, Anon!” We both look over to see Lyra approaching us. “What is this thing I keep hearing about Twilight?” Anon’s smile disintegrates as he goes to a stoic expression. “Things, Lyra. Things.” Lyra slams her front hooves onto the table we’re seated at. Almost knocking our food off. “You want me to rough her up a bit?” She asks. Anon shakes his head. “No, Lyra.” Lyra moves closer to Anon. “You need anything, and I mean anything, you let me know.” That feeling starts to bubble up as Lyras words enter my mind. My fur slowly starts to stand as my muscles start to flex. I don't know why, but my body is yelling at me to attack. “Lyra, please.” Anon speaks with obvious restraint. She lets out a sigh. “Alright, I’ll leave you alone. My offer still stands.” As she walks away I feel my body start to relax. “What was that all about?” I ask. Anon shakes his head as his stoic expression turns to a frown. “The inevitable.” He quickly gets up. “Sorry, Derpy. I need to head back to the farm.” He throws a few bits onto the table and starts to walk off. “Are you still going to pick up Dinky?” I ask. He stops and turns to face me. His face looks calmer. “Of course.” As Anon walks off towards Sweet Apple acres, I feel myself watching him as he slowly disappears from sight. I look up to the sun and see that an hour has already passed. I let out a sigh as I get up from my seat slowly. I know that Mr. Express gave me an extra hour, but I think I’ll head back and help him out some more. I walk off towards the post office, but not before I give one more glance towards Sweet Apple acres. I hope things work out for everyone.